


Alive.

by FeliciaAmelloides



Series: A Oneshot a Day... [44]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet?, Canon Divergence, F/M, OOC, Spoilers for Late Season 1/Chapter 19 Onwards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13918944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeliciaAmelloides/pseuds/FeliciaAmelloides
Summary: SPOILERS FOR AOT LATE SEASON 1/MANGA CHAPTERS 19 ONWARDS (FEMALE TITAN ARC)Armin is briefly assigned to guard Annie's cell whilst the Scouts aren't actively travelling outside the walls.His next and final encounter with her changes the way he sees her forever.





	Alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Sort of an AU since I haven't read enough of the AOT manga to know exactly what happens to Annie after she was crystallised (is it called that?). I shipped Armin and Annie since the scene in the anime where she expressed actual emotions after he confronted her despite knowing that that isn't proof that they should be together. It's still a cute pairing though, crack ship or not.
> 
> Idk what the plot is on this? I just wrote it for fun~

It was the dead of night. Only one guard patrolled the door to the Female Titan's cell at this time on a Wednesday, just 30 minutes before a second guard came to join them. Without any other distractions, it was the perfect time to enter the room.

Armin was in the Survey Corps, so it had taken a lot of effort to get himself enrolled as one of Annie's guards. It was only for a few weeks whilst the expeditions outside the Walls were put on hold until new recruits were ready to join their ranks and old comrades had recovered enough from previous fights to start new ones. The Wednesday midnight shift was one that no one else wanted, so Armin didn't find any difficulties in getting it. So all he had left to do was wait.

It was finally time. The guards at the door glanced tiredly at Armin, noted his blond mop of hair and then left, satisfied that their job was done and they could finally get some rest. Armin waited patiently outside the door until their footsteps had retreated, and then listened for a few moments more just to make sure that he was alone. Silence.

Unlocking the door hastily, he pushed it open cautiously so that it did not make a sound and alert others to the area. Stepping inside, he looked up anxiously, afraid for what was to come.

There she was. Crystallised in a frozen state of stubbornness, eyes tightly shut. Her hair was still tied up in its all-too-familiar bun, the MP insignia emblazoned on her jacket with an ironic sense of pride. Armin stared, wondering why he'd even gone there. What he had to achieve.

Slowly but surely he approached her, eyes staring past the crystal-like layers of hardened skin into the girl hiding within. Without thinking, he pressed a soft hand against the surface.

With a gasp he was thrown backwards by an immense force, back hitting the wall. Quickly he leapt to his feet, hand on an ODM blade just in case Annie went Titan. The crystal cracked around her form and hot white smoke filled the room. Armin found himself inhaling it, unable to breathe and starting to choke. Then, just as he thought that he was about to die, the smoke ceased and the sounds filling the room stopped.

He looked up. Cold blue eyes bored into his own. Annie was awake.

The sensation of a gentle hand on the surface of her crystal shell had shocked Annie into releasing her form. Of course, she knew the risks of this. But it was Armin, and he was alone. She could fight him if needed, but somehow she knew that he wasn't there to turn her in or to persuade her to do so herself.

When she came to, the first thing she saw was a golden ball on the ground below her on an island of brown in a sea of grey. Then her eyes adjusted, and she recognised him at once. Instinctively drawing back despite herself, Annie watched him with a calculated gaze, prepared to shift back whenever possible if she needed to.

"Annie." The slight whisper from parted lips as he gazed up at her with those big blue eyes was enough to completely throw her off guard.

"Armin. It's nice to see you again." She stated flatly, not a shred of emotion breaking through her stoic facade.

"Y-yeah..." he mumbled as he slowly lowered his hand from the hilt of one of his blades. Meeting her eyes again he seemed to shrink backwards. Fear, and it hurt her to see it in his gaze, but she didn't understand why.

"I'm not going to hurt you. How would that benefit me? I'd still be trapped here, probably in even more trouble than before since I'd have no form of protection." Armin slowly relaxed as she spoke, although the tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

"You could still do it. I'm the only guard tonight, so if you did it then it would buy you enough time to escape." Armin almost slapped himself. Why did he say that? Now she had even more incentive to kill him and run! But instead of lunging for him, Annie simply shrugged nonchalantly.

"There's nowhere to escape to. Even shifting wouldn't help me now. There's no point." The boy found that he couldn't argue with her there. The other guards were just around the corner, and Annie would probably make enough noise running through the corridors after murdering him that she would be caught quickly. Then again, her stealth and speed were excellent. Maybe she could do it.

Before he could stop himself, Armin asked, "Do you want anything? Food, water? I can ask someone to get me some. They won't question it as long as they don't see you." Quickly he cut off his own rambling, heat rising in his face from the embarrassment.

"I don't think there's much point in that either. I'm going to die soon, now that I'm free. I'm a traitor to all of Humanity." The words sunk in slowly despite how obvious they were. Armin felt his breath catch in his throat. Then he realised it. He didn't want Annie to die.

You don't have to. We can escape. I can help you. he found himself wanting to say, knowing that it would be foolish to do so. So he remained silent, sat at her side.

"We don't have much time." He whispered, voice barely audible.

"I know." Her voice was equally as quiet. Then, in one sudden, heart stopping moment, she leaned towards him, cheek cupped in her hand, and faintly brushed her lips against his in a single, chaste movement. Pulling back quickly, Annie avoided Armin's gaze pointedly, blush covering her face.

Armin couldn't find the words to say anything, and even if he could he knew that no words existed to fully describe how that had felt. He didn't even know if it was a good thing or not. Still all too engrossed in the moment, he didn't stop in time to notice Annie rise to her feet, return to her spot in the centre of the room and open the blade on her ring.

She exploded, hot steam once more filling the room, and Armin found himself fighting for breath once more. But this time it ended quickly since Annie had stopped her transformation midway through, crystallising herself once more in her own hardened skin. And all Armin could do was stare because he knew that he would never get to feel her lips on his again.

It wasn't right. He knew that. So he had to move on. For now, she had at least prolonged her life. And that was good.

**Author's Note:**

> A bit weird, but oh well. I tried~
> 
> Prompt- Unappreciated ship.
> 
> Original Number- 231.


End file.
